World Premiere of Roads to Zion, composed by Dolora Zajick

Dolora revealed yet another layer to her talent with the world premiere of Roads to Zion at a concert in the Cathedral of Saint Joseph in San Jose, California, on August 22, 2014. "The sudden emergence of a worldly singer as a sacred composer aroused my interest... Though Roads to Zion is Zajick’s first public composition, it demonstrates accomplished vocal and instrumental writing, with evocative motifs in its unusual modality. At first they resemble the antique contours one may hear in movie scores set in the ancient Middle East. As the work unfolds, however, Zajick’s kernel motif (e, f, d#, g#) goes further than most movie scores even attempt in the exploration of close modulations, frisson-inducing dissonances, bell-like tones that invoke church rituals, and even, in the work’s third part, a flirtation with bitonality. The performance of Roads to Zion was on a high professional level. Conveyed within the generous acoustics of the cruciform baroque cathedral — one of the most impressive in the USA — it delivered its message in a resonant, almost beatific, glow. Zajick’s mezzo is a wonder on any opera stage, but as a dramatic mezzo-soprano she typically sings troubled characters with dark colorings; think of Azucena in Il trovatore and Amneris in Aida. At the Met Opera’s production of Dvorák’s Rusalka earlier this year, she portrayed the Water-Goblin Ježibaba. On this occasion, however, her St. Teresa allowed the sweetest regions of her voice to soar in bright, fresh raptures. A vocal instrument of such power and beauty was a rare treat as it filled the cathedral’s vast chambers. The appreciative audience knew it." (San Francisco Classical Voice, 27 August 2014) Read the full review on the San Francisco Classical Voice website "Zajick’s music is melodic, distinctively original, and replete with accessible twenty-first century harmony. The central part of this opera scene, an orchestral interlude entitled A Soul Takes Flight, created an impressionistic atmosphere of floating celestial sound. The finale, A Soul Returns, reminded the listener that today’s believers are the representatives of Christ. For Christians and non-Christians alike, this music created an intense experience. Its impressive orchestration and unified architectural design made it a most fascinating piece. If this work is indicative of Zajick’s compositional achievement, it certainly whets the appetite to hear more...it was the music of Roads to Zion that remained in the minds of the audience as they left the concert." (Opera Today, 25 August 2014) Read the full review on the Opera Today website Roads to Zion is an opera scene composed for solo voice, women’s chorus and small orchestra. The piece was part of the program at the celebration commemorating the 500^th year since the birth of Saint Teresa of Avila presented by the Discalced Carmelite Family of the Western U.S. A second performance of Roads to Zion has been confirmed in Madrid for the spring of 2015. Drawn to the Carmelite tradition for many years, Zajick considers the Carmelite Order part of her family. When she’s not performing and touring internationally, she spends her time at her home in Reno, Nevada, and at the local Carmelite Monastery. For more information about the celebration of Saint Teresa of Avila, please visit: www.stj500westernus.com